|
The most common foreign body in our bodies is this condition. Although it
is not an emergency, it still warrants immediate removal. Failure to do so
leads to its accumulation and hardening which may cause difficulty in
hearing. This is very common in school-age children. Busy mothers fail to
inspect their children’s ears. Sometimes it’s only an accidental finding
during regular physical examinations done in schools. At times, it is the
teacher complaining that the child is not listening inside the classroom or
is having poor performance in school.
Cerumen is produced by glands located in the external ear canal. It has
the advantage of repelling water and trapping dust particles. It becomes
impacted due to use of objects put inside the ears which pushes the cerumen
towards the inner part of the ear. It then accumulates inside and blocks the
eardrum. Another cause may be is overproduction of ear wax.
The removal of the cerumen is done by instilling oil inside the ear canal
every night for at least two weeks. This is done to soften the cerumen
making removal easier and less painful. After two weeks the child can be
brought to a physician who can perform the mechanical removal of the cerumen.
An otoscope with an operating head is usually used. The child must be
advised to refrain from moving or must be restrained. Insert slowly a wire
loop or wax curette inside the ear canal then slowly scrape the cerumen
taking care not to curette the ear canal. This procedure is usually done by
an ENT specialist.
Another method is by irrigating the ear canal with water in normal body
temperature using a syringe. The jet of water should be aimed along the
canal and behind the cerumen in order to push it out. This procedure is
usually avoided in children with perforation or with tympanostomy tube.
There are cerumenolytic agents available in the market which can be used
to remove cerumen but these sometimes cause severe local reactions
especially if not properly used. The best prevention in order not to have
impacted cerumen is regular cleaning of the external ear with a washcloth.
There is no need to go inside the ear canal using cotton buds, hair pins and
the like. The wax that is present inside the ear canal will fall off on its
own.
|